I sometimes like to explore the "feelings" behind ideas so that I am not wedded to the ideas themselves. For me, this works with metaphors.

If your will permit me a metaphor with a little levity .... for many people of the world, Democracy is ...

TEEN SEX
everyone is taking about it, some are doing it, but no one is doing it really well.

For the developers of 21st Century Agoras, Democracy is ...

AN ECHO
sharing a difference of opinion -- Having my son tell me that I am not listening, and then recognizing that he is right.

A MIRROR
sharing a difference of perspective -- Asking myself how others see my ideas.

A LIFELINE
feeling a tug on the other end of the rope -- Recognizing that I have been understood or misunderstood.

A BANQUET
seeing the menu and picking from it what I would most like -- Making a request for a special dish and then seeing that dish on the communal table (but not forcing it into all of the plates on the table).

A DANCE
meeting pairwise and then changing partners in a square dance -- Sharing music and steps wuth active roles for all to play.

A QUEST
looking for treasures with a map that we create among ourselves -- Exploring a world of possibilities with a jointly defined idea of what represents a treasure.

A BARN RAISING
constructing a new building in town with community labor -- Walking through steps with real wood and real nails to put into place an enduring structure.

A JAZZ CONCERT
blending harmonic and strident voices into a pleasing expression -- Tuning up orchestra instruments and working together to breath life into a musical score that evolves as we all touch it.

Now, for a real challenge, we might also explore anti-metaphors -- which is to say "what democracy is most un-like." This is a boundary sensing activity. It is easy to see how democracy could be part of examples of anti-metaphors, so the challenge is to define where the circle of light ends and where the shadow of darkness begins.

NOT LIKE A CHURCH SACRAMENT
not like an ardained sermon or outcome that invites the faithful to follow in ritual servitude carved away from the rest of their daily lives.

NOT LIKE A CAFETERIA
not like a food line where we dispense meals for diners to pick up, eat and digest at divided dining tables.

NOT LIKE A THINK TANK
not like a kitchen where we cook up exotic, new ideas for others to work with.

NOT LIKE AN ASSEMBLY LINE
not like a production unit where we glue together only those bits and pieces that were manufactured by others in other parts of the world.

NOT LIKE A SUMMER CAMP
not a diversion from the real world but preparation for dealing with the real world.

NOT LIKE A COCKTAIL PARTY
not an opportunity to be seen and heard for the sake of being seen and heard alone.